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WIDOW FORCED TO STAND FOR
TRUST PAPERS' BULLYING
The methods by which the trust
newspapers keep their inflated cir
culation is well illustrated by the case
of Mrs. Belpedia.
Chrestna Belpedia lives at 719 De
Koven street, is a poor widow with
two small children, and the proprie
tor of a little news stand at the cor
ner of Dearborn and Randolph
streets.
She purchased this stand two years
ago, paid $200 for it, and has a per-'
mit from the city for the corner.
The Record-Herald left more
papers than were ordered and when
John Pundy, the boy in charge .for
Mrs. Belpedia, refused to pay for the
papers he had not ordered, they
threatened to get his job, according
to Pundy.
It was only a matter of B cents,
a small sum, perhaps, but consider
able to the widow and her children.
The trust newspapers work hand
in hand. The Daily News took up
the fight.
The other night when Fundy was
getting ready to quit, the News driver
arrived. He wanted Fundy to take
50 papers.
"When I refused," says Fundy, "he
threatened to get even. I could not
take the papers. If I had stayed all
night I could not sell them."
,Yesterday the News representa
tives drove Fundy away and put one
of their own men in charge of the
stand.
Mrs. Belpedia ran to the I Daily
News and asked them what they
meant
"You must discharge Fundy," Mrs.
Belpedia's son says they told him,
"and take as, many papers as the
driver wishe's to leave, or we will
keep you away from your stand.'
The poor widow, afraid she would
lose her only source of income, prom
ised to do what they demanded.
Fundy lost his job and Mrs. Bel
Te3ia must pay for papers she does
not want, to boost the News circulation.
TRIBUTE TO THE TELEPHONE
By Celeste M. Koehler.
The telephone! What a factor in
our every day life, and what a neces
sity in our struggle for success.
Buried beneath the streets of our
metropolitan cities are thousands of
cables, the component wires of which
are daily carrying their messages of
sadness and good cheer. These slen
der metal strings bind the business
interests together and create a closer
relation between man and man.
They carry announcement of
deaths and new arrivals to the fam
ily; they tell of gigantic undertakings
and weak experiences; of contests
won and battles lost We gaze at the
little instrument on our desk with
mingled feelings of pleasure and pain.
We remember when it conveyed to
us the information that our under
takings had been successful; we also
regard it with feelings of resentment
because it told us of reverses and dis
appointments. Yes, the telephone cheers the heart
and makes it sad. It has told us of
rising markets and of panicky mo
ments on the stock exchanges. It
has conveyed to us the childish prat
tle of voices which now are stilled.
In our mad rush for the almighty
dollar those little interruptions some
times annoyed us, but the gold of
kings could not buy the instrument
today if it could again assume the
same attributes of personality and
pour into our ears that plaintive ap
peal: "Papa, please turn home."
o o
A dignified country clergyman, re
turning to his parish after a holiday,
noticed a woman at her cottage door
with a baby in her arms and asked if
the baby had been baptized. "Well,
sir," replied the mother deferentially,
"I shouldn't like to say as much as
that, but your oung curate came and
did what he could!"
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